MALI - COMPLEX EMERGENCY FACT SHEET #1, FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2018 MARCH 30, 2018

NUMBERS AT USAID/OFDA1 FUNDING HIGHLIGHTS A GLANCE BY SECTOR IN FY 2017–2018  UN requests approximately $263 million to address humanitarian needs 8% 2% in in 2018 17.9 9% 26%  Security incidents against relief workers in Mali during 2017 increase million 9% by 96 percent compared to 2016 Population of Mali 10% 13% CIA World Factbook – July 2017  Food security conditions deteriorate,

10% 13% leaving nearly 4.1 million people in need of food assistance

Agriculture & Food Security (26%) 4.1 Logistics Support & Relief Commodities (13%) HUMANITARIAN FUNDING Economic Recovery & Market Systems (13%) FOR THE MALI RESPONSE IN FY 2017–2018 Protection (10%) million Humanitarian Coordination & Information Management (10%) USAID/OFDA $22,202,179 People in Mali Requiring Health (9%) Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (9%) Humanitarian Assistance Nutrition (8%) USAID/FFP $37,897,721 in 2018 Shelter and Settlements (2%) UN – February 2018 State/PRM3 $33,601,709 USAID/FFP2 FUNDING BY MODALITY IN FY 2017–2018 800,000 59% 19% 18% 4% $93,701,609 U.S. In-Kind Food Aid (59%) Severely Food-Insecure Local and Regional Food Procurement (19%) People in Mali Food Vouchers (18%) UN – February 2018 Cash Transfers for Food (4%)

KEY DEVELOPMENTS 47,700  The 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for Mali requests nearly $263 million to IDPs in Mali provide humanitarian assistance to 1.6 million of the estimated 4.1 million people in need, GoM – January 2018 a nearly 11 percent increase from the 3.7 million people requiring assistance in 2017.  Humanitarian workers continue to experience attacks and incidences of criminality in Mali. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recorded 134,450 133 security incidents targeting relief actors in 2017, a nearly 96 percent increase from the Malian Refugees and 68 incidents recorded in 2016. Asylum Seekers in Burkina Faso, Mauritania,  Nearly 4.1 million people could face food insecurity in Mali in 2018, according to the and Niger 2018 HRP. Above-average cereal prices, depleted food stocks, and poor pasture UN – February 2018 conditions have contributed to a 17 percent increase in the number of food-insecure people since 2017. Humanitarian actors report that food insecurity in Mali may worsen in the coming months. 63,100 Returned Refugees to 1 USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) Mali 2 USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) 3 U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM) GoM – January 2018

1 CURRENT EVENTS  On March 21, delegates at a UN Human Rights Council Session reviewed implementation of the 2015 Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation in Mali, resulting from the Algiers Process―an accord enacted between the Government of Mali (GoM) and opposition groups. Delegates voiced concerns over escalating insecurity in central and northern Mali and urged the GoM to increase its security presence in those regions to prevent further deterioration of security conditions.  During the March 21 session, speakers also noted the importance of ensuring free and fair elections in the coming months. Following attacks by armed groups in November 2017, the GoM postponed regional elections amid security concerns. Originally scheduled for December 2017, the elections are now planned to occur in December 2018, after the presidential election in July 2018. On January 24, UN Security Council (UNSC) members issued a press statement urging all parties to implement the remaining obligations outlined in the 2015 accord by the end of March to avoid reversing recent momentum towards reconciliation.  Armed actors continue to target members of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). On February 28, a UN vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device (IED) while traveling between ’s Boni village and town, resulting in the deaths of four UN peacekeepers and injuring four others, according to the UN. The incident is one of the latest in a series of violent attacks against UN staff, with the UN reporting more than 146 MINUSMA deaths since the peacekeeping operation began in 2013. UN Secretary- General António Guterres and the UNSC issued statements condemning the attacks and emphasized that any violations of the peace agreement or involvement in attacks against MINUSMA members would result in UN sanctions. A similar incident involving an IED in Mopti’s village on February 27 resulted in the deaths of six GoM soldiers, international media reported.

INSECURITY AND POPULATION MOVEMENT  Attacks against civilians increased during 2017, particularly in the central and northern regions of , Kidal, and Mopti, the UN reports. In October 2017, the GoM extended the nationwide state of emergency—first declared in November 2015—through October 2018 in response to continued violence.  Criminality and violence continue to disrupt humanitarian activities in central and northern Mali. Relief actors experienced at least 133 security incidents in 2017, a 96 percent increase compared to the 68 incidents recorded in 2016, OCHA reports. Relief actors in Gao accounted for 27 percent of 2017 incidents, the most of any region. Overall, carjacking and theft were the most common incidents, comprising nearly 70 percent, while approximately 5 percent were linked to armed groups.  Relief organizations have reported fluid population movement in Mali since mid-2017, with simultaneous reports of new population displacement and internally displaced person (IDP) returns. In January, the GoM reported that nearly 47,700 IDPs were sheltering across Mali, representing a decrease of 7,700 people―approximately 14 percent―compared to the 55,400 IDPs identified in July 2017. Despite the overall decrease, the International Organization for Migration reported nearly 17,700 new IDPs in Gao, Ménaka, and Tombouctou regions between October 2017 and January 2018.  Escalating violence in areas near the Burkina Faso–Mali border has displaced at least 20,000 people since December 2017, according to the UN. Approximately 3,000 people fled Burkina Faso for Mali, while thousands of Mali residents are sheltering in Tombouctou Region’s Ebang Malane, , Gourma-Rharous, and Ouinerden communes. As of mid-February, humanitarian actors noted acute water shortages at displacement sites, with some IDPs reporting lack of access to safe drinking water within approximately 6 miles. Relief actors are responding to humanitarian needs in the area; however, insecurity is hindering access to vulnerable populations.  School closures in Mali have increased significantly in recent months, particularly in Mopti, where more than 60 percent of closed schools are located. According to the UN, more than 670 schools remained closed due to insecurity as of January 2018, a 35 percent increase from the 500 closed schools at the start of the 2017–2018 academic year in November 2017. The school closures are disrupting education for an estimated 300,000 children in Mali, the UN reports.

2 FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION

 The 2018 HRP reports that an estimated 4.1 million people in Mali could face food insecurity in 2018, representing a 17 percent increase from the approximately 3.5 million people identified as food insecure in the 2017 HRP. Above- average grain prices, deteriorating security conditions, and agricultural and pasture deficits due to insufficient rainfall in 2017 have resulted in increased food needs across Mali, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and UN World Food Program (WFP) reported in mid-March. Additionally, depleted pastures and inadequate surface water have forced pastoral households to migrate early in 2018, while food stocks and household income are limited due to poor main-season harvests in late 2017, according to the UN agencies.  In November 2017, the GoM and humanitarian organizations released a Cadre Harmonisé (CH) report, a tool used across West Africa to classify and quantify food insecurity. The analysis projected approximately 795,000 people will experience Crisis—Phase 3—or worse levels of acute food insecurity between June and August 2018, a period covering the end of the pastoral lean season and the beginning of the agricultural lean season.4 This figure represents a 32 percent increase from the 601,000 people who likely experienced Crisis or worse food insecurity levels between June and August 2017. In a March 2018 statement, the Food Security and Nutrition clusters—the coordinating bodies for humanitarian food security and nutrition activities, comprising UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders—noted that the most recent available data suggest that the food security situation in Mali has worsened since the release of the 2017 CH estimates. An updated CH analysis is expected in the coming months.  The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) reports that previous production shortfalls in parts of Gao, Kayes, , Mopti, and Tombouctou regions are resulting in early depletion of food stocks. In addition, above- average staple food prices are reducing poor households’ access to food in markets. Vulnerable populations in these areas will likely face Stressed—IPC 2—levels of food insecurity through September, with some low-income households experiencing Crisis—IPC 3—levels of acute food insecurity in the absence of humanitarian assistance, according to FEWS NET.  In mid-2017, the GoM and UN agencies, including USAID/FFP partner UNICEF, conducted a national Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions (SMART) nutrition survey. The SMART survey found that the national prevalence of childhood global acute malnutrition was nearly 11 percent, with levels in Gao and Tombouctou exceeding the UN World Health Organization emergency threshold of 15 percent. In response to increased nutrition needs, UNICEF aims to treat 130,000 children experiencing severe acute malnutrition during 2018. USAID/FFP has provided approximately $2.2 million to support UNICEF operations in Mali since FY 2017.  USAID/FFP recently contributed nearly $10 million to WFP to respond to the urgent food needs of more than 200,000 people in Mali. The support enables WFP to provide more than 4,800 metric tons (MT) of in-kind food assistance—including cooking oil, fortified corn-soy blend, and pulses—to populations affected by conflict, lean-season food insecurity, natural disasters, or production shocks. In addition, WFP plans to deliver supplementary nutrition assistance to prevent acute malnutrition in children ages 6–23 months and pregnant and lactating women. In January, WFP assisted more than 150,000 people in Mali.  USAID/OFDA continues to support agricultural and nutrition interventions to alleviate food insecurity and build community resilience across Mali. With USAID/OFDA assistance, partners are improving community coordination mechanisms and protecting livestock for agro-pastoral households affected by conflict and climate shocks. Humanitarian partners are also strengthening livelihood activities by providing agricultural tools and seeds to increase food production in vulnerable communities.

4 The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is a standardized tool that aims to classify the severity and magnitude of food insecurity. The IPC scale, comparable across countries, ranges from Minimal—IPC 1—to Famine—IPC 5. The CH report, a similar tool used only in West Africa, has a separate scale ranging from Minimal—Phase 1—to Famine— Phase 5.

3 PROTECTION  In February, the UNSC reported receiving nearly 750 allegations of recruitment and use of children by armed groups in Mali between January 2014 and June 2017. Of the allegations, the UN could only verify 284 instances. The report indicates boys and girls continue to be vulnerable to recruitment into armed groups and violence due to protracted unrest in central and northern Mali. Since FY 2017, USAID/OFDA has contributed more than $2.2 million to support NGO partners to strengthen child protection policies through local and national coordination efforts and community- based protection initiatives.  USAID/OFDA is also addressing critical gaps by funding clinical and psychosocial support services for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and supporting GBV prevention interventions in Tombouctou’s Gourma-Rharous and Tombouctou cercles. USAID/OFDA partners train government actors and GBV service providers to effectively respond to and prevent GBV, with the aim of strengthening community capacity to mitigate violence.

HEALTH AND WASH  Up to 1.7 million people in Mali could require emergency health assistance in 2018 due to conflict and potential natural disasters, the UN reports. In addition, factors such as low groundwater levels, natural disasters, and water pollution from livestock will likely leave an estimated 908,000 people in Mali requiring water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance during 2018. To address projected needs, the U.S. Government (USG) and the UN aim to promote sustainable water management in vulnerable communities and improve disaster and health response systems in seven at-risk regions.  The GoM registered 234 suspected measles cases in the capital city of and the regions of Gao, Kayes, Koulikoro, Mopti, and Sikasso between January 1 and March 3, the UN reports; no deaths were reported as of late February. Humanitarian actors have initiated vaccination campaigns in all affected areas to limit disease transmission and are evaluating the need for additional interventions.  With USAID/OFDA funding, NGO partners are improving access to safe drinking water by rehabilitating water supply systems in Mali’s northern regions, including Kidal and Tombouctou, where many people depend on seasonally declining groundwater for livelihood activities. In coordination with local NGOs, partners are also promoting improved hygiene practices and water management by conducting awareness campaigns in health centers, schools, and other public spaces.

LOGISTICS SUPPORT AND RELIEF COMMODITIES  The WFP-managed UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) continues to support medical evacuations and provide air service for relief actors at four airports in Bamako, Gao, Mopti, and Tombouctou. Between January and October 2017, UNHAS transported more than 8,600 people, enabling 143 donor organizations, NGOs, and UN agencies to implement and monitor projects in crisis-affected locations across Mali.  With $1.2 million in FY 2018 USAID/OFDA funding, UNHAS continues to provide air services for humanitarian workers and logistical support for delivering relief assistance to vulnerable communities in Mali.

INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE  The UN launched the 2018 HRP for Mali on February 15, requesting approximately $263 million to assist 1.6 million of the most vulnerable people in the country. Overall, the HRP identified an estimated 4.1 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, a nearly 11 percent increase compared to the 2017 HRP’s estimate of 3.7 million people in need.

4  On March 16, the World Bank announced approval of a $27.8 million project to rehabilitate a section of the between Ségou and Tombouctou regions. The initiative will likely improve access to the river and reduce competition over local resources for nearly 100,000 people. The project also aims to improve port services along the river and promote sustainable transport and water use in Ségou’s Kolongo and Kokry villages and Macina town, addressing food insecurity and expanding livelihood opportunities.

2017–2018 HUMANITARIAN FUNDING* PER DONOR $93,701,609

$66,652,936

$17,979,443 $8,791,503 $5,272,788 $5,267,224 $4,986,394 $3,122,308 $3,005,000 $2,935,023

USG ECHO** Germany Sweden Canada Denmark Switzerland Belgium Japan Spain

*Funding figures are as of March 30, 2018. All international figures are according to the OCHA Financial Tracking Service and based on international commitments during calendar years 2017 and 2018, while USG figures are according to the USG and reflect USG commitments based on FY 2017 and FY 2018, which began on October 1, 2016 and October 1, 2017, respectively. **European Commission’s Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection

** European Commission’s Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection

CONTEXT  Since 2012, conflict in northern Mali has resulted in displacement, food insecurity, and violence. Improvements in the availability of food and basic services and security conditions in some parts of the country has resulted in the return of approximately 63,100 refugees to areas of origin; however, the UN reported that nearly 47,700 people remained internally displaced, while 134,450 Malians had fled to neighboring countries as of February 2018. Prolonged displacement, disrupted trade flows, and constrained humanitarian access continue to increase vulnerabilities among affected families, according to the UN.  On October 23, 2017, U.S. Ambassador Paul A. Folmsbee reissued a disaster declaration due to the ongoing complex emergency in Mali. In response, USAID/FFP and USAID/OFDA have supported food-insecure and vulnerable IDPs and host community members with food assistance and other emergency interventions to improve agricultural production and revitalize livelihood activities, building community resilience to shocks. In addition, USAID/OFDA has improved access to emergency health care, protection services, safe drinking water, and sanitation infrastructure. USAID/OFDA has also funded technical support and data collection on IDPs, returnees, and host communities to ensure effective and appropriate assistance.

5 USG HUMANITARIAN FUNDING FOR THE MALI RESPONSE IN FY 2017–20181

IMPLEMENTING PARTNER ACTIVITY LOCATION AMOUNT

USAID/OFDA2

Agriculture and Food Security; Economic Recovery and Market Systems; Health; Humanitarian Coordination and Gao, Kidal, Ménaka, Mopti, Implementing Partners Information Management; Logistics Support and Relief $18,195,703 Ségou, Taoudénit, Tombouctou Commodities; Nutrition; Protection; Risk Management and Policy Practice; Shelter and Settlements; WASH

OCHA Humanitarian Coordination and Information Management Countrywide $1,000,000

UNHAS Logistics Support and Relief Commodities Countrywide $2,400,000

Program Support Costs $606,476

TOTAL USAID/OFDA FUNDING $22,202,179

USAID/FFP3 Gao, Ménaka, Mopti, Implementing Partner Local and Regional Food Procurement $676,626 Taoudénit, Tombouctou, Ségou

430 MT of U.S. In-Kind Food Aid Countrywide $2,136,920 UNICEF Complimentary Services Countrywide $81,227

9,780 MT of U.S. In-Kind Food Aid Countrywide $20,302,948 WFP Cash Transfers for Food; Food Vouchers; 5,865 MT of Countrywide $14,700,000 Local and Regional Food Procurement TOTAL USAID/FFP FUNDING $37,897,721 STATE/PRM Livelihoods Assistance for Host Communities and Catholic Relief Services Burkina Faso $600,000 Refugees Implementing Partner Multi-Sector Assistance to Conflict-Affected Populations Countrywide $14,700,000 Livelihoods Assistance for Host Communities and IOM Mauritania $2,099,924 Refugees Intersos Child Protection and Education Services for Refugees Mauritania $499,809 Livelihoods Assistance for Host Communities and Lutheran World Relief Mauritania $656,976 Refugees Livelihoods Assistance for Refugees and Refugee Mercy Corps Mali and Niger $1,000,000 Returnees Livelihoods Assistance for Host Communities and Save the Children Burkina Faso $600,000 Refugees UNHAS Logistics Support and Relief Commodities Mauritania $1,345,000 Multi-Sector and Protection Assistance for Malian refugees UNHCR Regional $12,100,000 and IDPs TOTAL STATE/PRM FUNDING $33,601,709

TOTAL USG HUMANITARIAN FUNDING FOR THE MALI RESPONSE IN FY 2017–2018 $93,701,609

1 Year of funding indicates the date of commitment or obligation, not appropriation, of funds. Funding figures reflect publicly announced funding as of March 30, 2018. 2 USAID/OFDA funding represents anticipated or actual obligated amounts. 3 Estimated value of food assistance and transportation costs at time of procurement; subject to change.

6 PUBLIC DONATION INFORMATION  The most effective way people can assist relief efforts is by making cash contributions to humanitarian organizations that are conducting relief operations. A list of humanitarian organizations that are accepting cash donations for disaster responses around the world can be found at www.interaction.org.  USAID encourages cash donations because they allow aid professionals to procure the exact items needed (often in the affected region); reduce the burden on scarce resources (such as transportation routes, staff time, and warehouse space); can be transferred very quickly and without transportation costs; support the economy of the disaster-stricken region; and ensure culturally, dietary, and environmentally appropriate assistance.  More information can be found at: • USAID Center for International Disaster Information: www.cidi.org or +1.202.661.7710. • Information on relief activities of the humanitarian community can be found at www.reliefweb.int.

USAID/OFDA bulletins appear on the USAID website at http://www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/working-crises-and-conflict/responding-times-crisis/where-we-work

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